I have been this summer (july-august) in Peru. Alpamayo was on my to-do list, but I had an unpleasant surprise. The Ferrari route was closed and it seems that will stay closed for some time. It has a big snow mushroom on top and avalanches are frecquent. The French Direct was to hard for me, so I have to settle for Quitaraju.

Climbed with Doug Shepherd on a multi-objective expedition organized by Dave Cooper (thanks Dave!). A couple of simul-climbing pitches up knee-deep snow above the 'schrund then about 7 pitches of brilliant ice to just below the summit. Last half pitch steepened to 80+ degrees on crappy snow with poor tool purchase - probably harder than the whole rest of the route. Traversed over to the top of the Ferrari (*scary* knife edge ridge) and rapped from in-situ 3 picket anchor on the summit ridge and v-threads from there on.

Climbed with T. Haines. First 2.5 pitches after bergshrund were good snow then it turned into ice at flutings. First pitch of ice was short and about 75* at most and not very great ice, but not bad. Seven pitches on ice total. Last six pitches had amazing, very plastic ice. Last pitch had a short section of 80*-85* ice for 20´ then the second half of the pitch was steep snow that tools didn´t really hold on, but a little balance gets you to the top. Amazing mountain. Amazing route. Ferrari was closed due to a huge cornice on the summit ridge. Pictures and TR will be added soon.

left early for another try. first try on day before there were climbers above us and felt this to be unsafe. glad we backed off...a guy broke his shoulder from falling ice from a team above him. The team that dislodged the ice actually aborted their chance for the summit in order to help the team of the injured climber to get him down before dark.

Connie Martinez and I summited in June of 2000, during an 11 day mini-expedition in to Alpamayo. We hired an arriero at Cashapampa with 2 mules, and took 2 days to hike in to basecamp at about 14,000 feet. Then we did a carry up to 16,000 on day 4, then moved up on day 5. Day 6 we got on the snow and carried everything up to the high camp at 17,800. That was a pretty difficult 8 hours or so. I remember the terrain was in some cases steeper than anything we encountered on the actual route to the summit. Day 7 we rested, and then the next day we summitted behind a party of 3 Spaniards who were knocking a little ice down on us all day (and one of them lost a headlamp, which must have hit us on it's way down). The route itself was no problem, about 6 pitches of easy ice from the bergshrund (which was a little tricky to cross) to the top. We didn't place much pro at all, just clipped fixed gear. The day after, we took another rest day, then went all the way down to basecamp. On Day 11 our arriero showed up and we went back to Cashapampa and Huaraz. Beautiful mountain...

Summited with Adam Jones (SP member flatnose) in a total white-out after waiting for 4 days at Col Camp for a partial clearing in the weather. The route was almost entirely water ice, which we climbed in 6 pitches. We then continued along the ridge to the true summit. The hardest part was getting to the face, breaking trail through all the deep snow that accumulated while we waited in Col Camp. Definitely a great climb on a great mountain, even with no views from the summit.

Still to this day my favorite alpine-ice route! We were lucky to climb on a day with NO other parties on the route. Could be quite hazardous with groups above. Quick descent, all on fixed abseil points. I'd like to give the N Ridge a try someday.

Ufff... Wonderful hill and also hard route..., specially if it is not called on to puntear. For that they are down, in the relief, the caidas ones of pieces of ice can return the dangerous and disagreeable ascent. The summit is very thin and costs to move from a side to another one, better to seat and to enjoy the Vista.

After an aborted first attempt, during which we encountered the frozen corpse of an Israeli killed in the July avalanche that whacked 8, Page Kyle and I hiked back up for the French Direct, but at 2am, freezing cold, we found only an impenetrable 30 foot overhangin bergschrund with a powder lip. We traversed to the Ferrari on easy ground, but then encountered 25 feet of grade 5 ice, and then emerged into the main runnel, which had been raked at least a few times by big cornice avalanches during the 2003 season, one of which killed the aforementioned Israeli. What was left of the route was WI4, brittle, and not a little ugly. I broke a pick, and the gargoyles above were snarling, but we kept going until about 3 meters from the summit, where our heads hit the overhanging mushroom. The past 2 pitches had been enjoyable aero ice and styro-snow. Fearing the loss of hours to gain only a few vertical meters, we rapped before the whole damned summit fell down. The fixed gear is mashed, but still bombproof. This route is very dangerous now, and Peruvian guides have abandoned it. I suggest a rating of TD or so, mainly because of the intense hazard of icefall.

We did not have a nice view from the summit that day. Alhough the route was in perfect conditions. The nice part of this owercrowded mountain is that all belays stations where fixed, so we all went down quickly.